Othniel Ben Kenaz (Hebrew עָתְנִיאֵל בֶּן קְנַז "lion of Hashem", Standard Hebrew ʻOtniʼel Ben Qənaz, ) is the first of the Softim. His wife Achsah was the bat Keleb (Yosh. 15:16, 17; Judg. 1:13). He gained her hand as a reward for his bravery in leading a successful expedition against Debir. Some thirty years after the death of Yoshua, the Yisraelites fell under the subjection of Chushan-rishathaim, the king of Mesopotamia. He oppressed them for a full eight years, when they "cried" unto Hashem, Othniel was raised up to be their deliverer. He was the ben Kenaz, younger brother of Keleb (Judg. 3:8, 9-11). He is the only Judge mentioned connected with the Tribe of Judah. Under him peace lasted for forty years.
Ehud Ben Gera (אֵהוּד originating from the Hebrew root א-ה-ד (liking, sympathy, support), Standard Hebrew Ehud, Tiberian Hebrew ʼĒhûḏ), in the Biblical sefer Softim (3:12-4:1) was the Judge who fought against the Moabites, which were ruled by Melekh Eglon. Ehud had made a short double edged sword about a foot and a half long useful for a stabbing thrust. He then hid the sword by strapping it to his right thigh under his clothing and met the king under the pretenses of giving him tribute. Being left-handed, he could conceal the sword on the side where it was not expected.
Ehud then tricked Eglon by saying he had a secret message intended for the king. Eglon sent all of his attendants away and Ehud drew his sword and stabbed the king, who was apparently so fat that even the handle of the blade sank in. Eglon was eviscerated by the blow, which punctured his intestines: "and the dirt came out."
After killing Eglon, Ehud locked the doors to the king's chamber and left, leading to a very humorous scene. Eglon's assistants came back to check on the king but when they found the doors locked they assumed the king was relieving himself. They "waited to the point of embarrassment" until they finally unlocked the door and went in, where they found their king dead. Ehud escaped during this time and made it to the town of Seriah. He then led the tribe of Efrayim to seize the fords of the Yordan, where they killed about 10,000 Moabite soldiers.
Ehud can be looked at as the opposite of the later judge Shimshon. He was just a normal man who purely by his own wits killed the king of Moab, and there was peace in the land for eighty years.
Shamgar Ben Anat The Pelishtim from the maritime plain had made incursions into the Hebrew upland for the purposes of plunder, when Shamgar, the ben Anat (Hebrew שמגר בן־ענת), otherwise unknown, headed an uprising for the purpose of freeing the land from this oppression. Shamgar repelled the invasion by slaying 600 men with an ox goad, a formidable weapon sometimes ten feet long. He was probably contemporary for a time with Devorah and Barak (Judg. 3:31; 5:6).
Devorah or Dvora (דְּבוֹרָה "Bee", Standard Hebrew Dəvora, Tiberian Hebrew Dəḇôrāh) was a Naviess and the fourth Judge and only female Judge of pre-monarchic Yisrael in the Tenakh. Her story is told twice in chapters 4 and 5 of Softim. The first account is prose, relating the victory of Yisraelite forces led by General Barak, whom Devorah called forth but prophesied would not achieve the final victory over the Kenaanite general Sisera himself. That honor went to Yael, the wife of Heber, a Kenite tentmaker. Yael killed Sisera by driving a tent peg through his head as he slept.
Softim 5 gives this same story in poetic form, and it is thought to have been composed in the second half of the 12th century BC, shortly after the events it describes. If that is the case, then this passage, often called The Song of Devorah, is one of the oldest passages of the Scripture and the earliest extant sample of Hebrew poetry. It is also significant because it is one of the, if not the, earliest passages that portrays women in other roles than as victims or as villains. The poem may have been included in the sefer the Wars of Adonay mentioned in Numbers 21:14. Little is known about Devorah's personal life. She was apparently married to a man named Lapidoth (meaning "torches"), but this name is not extant outside of the sefer Softim and might simply mean that Devorah herself was a "fiery" spirit. She was a poet and she rendered her judgments beneath a palm tree in Efrayim. Some people refer to her as the mother of Yisrael. After her victory over Sisera and the Kenaanite army, there was peace in the land for forty years.
Barak (בָּרָק "Lightning", Standard Hebrew Barak, Tiberian Hebrew Bārāq) is one of the Softim from the sefer Softim in the Scripture. Barak was the ben Avinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali. For twenty years Yisrael was oppressed by the Kenaanites, whose army had chariots with iron scythes.
The story of the victory of the Yisraelites under the Naviic leadership of Devorah and the military leadership of Barak, her commander, is related in prose (chapter 4) and repeated in poetry (chapter 5, which is known as the Song of Devorah). Chapter 4 makes the chief enemy Yabin, king of Hazor (present Tell el-Qedah, about three miles southwest of Hula Basin), though a prominent part is played by his commander in chief, Sisera of Harosheth-ha-goiim (possibly Tell el-'Amr, approximately 12 miles (19 km) northwest of Megiddo).
Devorah said that Barak would win, but Sisera would be killed by a woman. In the battle at Har Tabor, a cloudburst occurred, causing the river to flood, thus limiting the manoeuvrability of the Kenaanite chariots. Sisera fled, seeking refuge in the tent of a Kenite woman, Yael. Yael gave Sisera a drink of milk and he fell asleep from weariness. Then she pounded a tent peg through his head. When Barak came along, she let him see Sisera dead in her tent. Later Yisrael slew Melekh Yabin.Barak is remembered in the Brit Hadashah as one who "through faith defeated kingdoms in conflict". (Hebrews 11:32-34)
Gid'on (גִּדְעוֹן), also known as Yerubbaal, is a character that appears in the sefer Softim, in the Scripture. His story is told in chapters 6 to 8. He is also named in the Epistle to the Hebrews as an example of a man of faith. He is the ben Yoash, from the clan of Aviezer in the tribe of Manasseh. The name Gid'on means "Destroyer", "Mighty warrior" or "Feller (of trees)".
As is the pattern throughout the sefer Softim, the Yisraelites again turned away from Hashem after forty years of peace brought by Devorah's victory over Kenaan and were allowed to be attacked by the neighbouring Midianites and Amalekites. Hashem chose Gid'on, a young man from an otherwise unremarkable clan from the tribe of Manasseh, to free the people of Yisrael and to condemn their worship of idols. Very unsure of both himself and Hashem's command, he requested proof of Hashem's will by a miracle:
Tola (תּוֹלָע "Worm; grub", Standard Hebrew Tolaʻ, Tiberian Hebrew Tôlāʻ) was one of the Softim of Yisrael whose career is documented in Softim 10:1-2. Tola, the ben Puah and the grandben Dodo from the tribe of Yissakar, judged Yisrael for twenty-three years after Avi-Melekh died and lived at Shamir in Har Efrayim, where he was also buried.
Ya'ir (Hebrew יאיר Ya'ir) was a man from Gil'ad (see also Manasseh), east of the River Yardan, who judged Yisrael for twenty-two years after the death of Tola. His inheritance was in Gil'ad through the line of Makir, the ben Menasseh. Ya'ir was the ben Seguv, the ben Hezron the Yehudah through the bat Makir (1 Chronicles 2). According to Softim 10:3-5, Ya'ir had thirty sons, who rode thirty ass colts, and thirty 'cities' in Gil'ad which came to be known as Havoth-Ya'ir. The word chawwoth ('tent encampments') occurs only in this context (Numbers 32:41; Devarim 3:14; Softim 10:4), and is a legacy word remaining from the early nomadic stage of Hebrew culture. W. Ewing suggests that Kamon probably corresponds to Kamun taken by the Seleucid king Antiochus III, on his march from Pella to Gephrun (Polybius Book V.70:12).Yair died and was buried in Kamon.
Yiftach (Heb. יפתח Yiftach) is a character in the Tenakh who served as one of the Softim in Yisrael for a period of six years (Softim 12:7) between the conquest of Kenaan and the first king. Yiftach lived in Gil'ad and was a member of the Tribe of Manasseh. He is also called Yiftachh in other Scripture references. His father's name was also Gil'ad.
Being driven out by his half-brothers, he took up dwelling in Tov, east of Gil'ad. Here some men opposing the Ammonites put themselves under his command. (Softim 11:3) When Yisrael was gathering to go to war against Ammon, they looked for a Hashem-appointed man and decided to go to Yiftach.
He is best known for a rather unfortunate episode, and is recalled in the Brit Hadashah (Hebrews 11:32) as an example of a man of faith for the same. Before leaving for the war, he made a vow to Hashem that if he was to return home victorious, "whoever is the first to come through the doors of my house" to meet him would be given to Hashem. He was victorious, and return he did, but he was met by his daughter and only child. It is written that after much mourning she died as a childless, unmarried virgin.
The event has been the subject of many debates among readers. Some have argued that this was a practice of dedicating women to virginity, but it is likely that he really sacrificed her as an offering. Ancient Yehudahish writers interpreted it as a human sacrifice, as seen explicitly, for example, in the classical Pseudo-Philo, where the daughter sings a lament about her impending death and its necessity to fulfil Yiftach's vow. Leviticus 27:16-29 is used in support of both positions. On one hand it can be argued that these items are destroyed, but the cited text also allows for ransoming and also mentions land which can not be destroyed and was traditionally turned over for temple use. Some Yehudahish sources claim that Yiftach may have expected an "unclean" animal such as a dog to greet him upon returning home. Alternatively, the main point of this story may be to instruct young girls as to how to behave should they ever be selected for service (verses 37-38). That is, it could be a normative tale.
Later, Yiftach went to war against the Efrayimites, who refused to acknowledge him. The story is remembered for the killing of the fugitive Efrayimites who were identified by their accent; they said the Hebrew word shibboleth as sibboleth. In this rebellious action, 42,000 people lost their lives. (Softim 12:5,6) It should be noted that the method, while innovative, is by no means unique and has seen use throughout the centuries - for example, during the Finnish Civil War in 1918.
Ibzan (Hebrew אבצן) appears in the Scripture as one of the Softim of Yisrael. Very little is said about him, except the following: And after him Ibzan of Beit Lechem judged Yisrael. And he had thirty sons, and thirty daughters, whom he sent abroad, and took in thirty daughters from abroad for his sons. And he judged Yisrael seven years. Then died Ibzan, and was buried at Beit Lechem.
In the scripture, Elon (Hebrew אֵילֹן "Oak", Standard Hebrew Elon, Tiberian Hebrew ʼÊlōn) was a Judge of Yisrael. He followed Ibzan and was succeeded by Abdon. It is said that he was from the Tribe of Zevulun, led Yisrael for ten years, and was buried in Ajalon in Zebulon. (Softim 12:11)
Abdon was the ben Hillel, a Pirathonite, and was the tenth Judge of Yisrael mentioned in the Sefer Softim. (Judg. 12:13-15).
Shimshon or Shimshon (שִׁמְשׁוֹן "Of the sun" (perhaps proclaiming he was radiant and mighty) or "[One who] Serves [HaShem]", Standard Hebrew Šimšon, Tiberian Hebrew Šimšôn) is the third to last of the Softim of the ancient Children of Yisrael mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. He is described in the Sefer Softim chapters 13 to 16. Shimshon is something of a Herculean figure, utilizing massive strength to combat his enemies and perform heroic feats unachievable by ordinary men: wrestling a lion, slaying an entire army with nothing more than a donkey's jawbone, and tearing down an entire building.
Shimshon lived during the period when the Yisraelites were oppressed by the power of the Pelishtim. At this time an angel from HaShem appears to Manoah, an Yisraelite from the tribe of Dan, in the city of Zorah, and to his wife, who is sterile. This angel predicts that they will have a son who will deliver the Yisraelites from the Pelishtim. In accordance with Nazaritic requirements, she is to abstain from all alcoholic beverages and all unclean meat, and her promised child is not to shave or cut his hair. In due time the son, Shimshon, is born; he is reared according to these provisions.
When he becomes a young man Shimshon leaves the hills of his people to see the cities of the Pelishtim. While there, Shimshon becomes so infatuated with a Philistine woman from Timnah that, overcoming the objections of his parents (who didn't realise that it was the will of Adonay), he decides to marry her.
Eli (עֵלִי "Ascent", Standard Hebrew ʻEli, Tiberian Hebrew ʻĒlî) is the name of one of the last Yisraelite Softim before the rule of kings in ancient Yisrael. He was also the main priest and trained the young Navi Shemuel.
His sons (Hophni and Phinehas) were considered to be very wicked and were eventually struck down by HaShem for the inreverence they showed in doing their priestly duties. HaShem's judgment fell on Eli himself when hearing that Yisrael lost the Ark of the Covenant to their enemies. After he was told this he fell over in his chair and died.
Shemuel or Shmu'el (שְׁמוּאֵל, Standard Hebrew Šəmuʼel, Tiberian Hebrew Šəmûʼēl) is an important leader of ancient Yisrael. His story is told in the Hebrew Bible in the Seferim Shemuel.
His status, as viewed by rabbinical literature, is that he was the last of the Hebrew Softim and the first of the major Neviim who began to prophesy inside the EretzYisrael. He was at the cusp between two eras (as one notes that the Seferim Shemuel follow directly after the Sefer Softim) and selected/anointed the first two kings of the Melekhim of Yisrael: Melekh Shaul and Melekh David.
Names of Yisraelites
Simeon or Shimeon = “heard” 1) the 2nd son of Yacob by his wife Leah and progenitor of the tribe of Simeon
Kalev (לכלב) = “dog” 1) the godly son of Yephunneh and the faithful spy who reported the Promised Land favourably and urged its capture 2) son of Hezron and grandson of Pharez and great grandson of Judah and the father of Hur and grandfather of Kalev (לכלב) the spy
Judah = “praised” 1) ben Yacob by Leah 2) the tribe descended from Judah ben Yaakov 3) the territory occupied by the tribe of Judah 4) the kingdom comprised of the tribes of Judah and BenYamin which occupied the southern part of Kenaan after the nation split upon the death of Solomon
Otni'el (עתניאל) = “lion of Elohim (אלהים)” 1) son of Kenaz, younger brother of Kalev (לכלב), and husband of Achsah the daughter of Kalev (לכלב) and his own niece; first judge of Israel, who after the death of Yoshua, delivered the Israelites from the oppression of Kushan-Rish'atayim
Kenaz = “hunter” 1) son of Eliphaz and grandson of Esau; one of the dukes of Edom 2) a brother of Kalev (לכלב) and father of Otni'el (עתניאל)
Beit--shean or Beit--Shan = “bayit ease” 1) a place in Menashe, west of the Yarden
Dor = “generation” 1) a coastal city in Menashe, south of Carmel
yible‛âm Ibleam = “devouring the people” 1) a city of Menashe apparently located in the territory of either Yissakar or Asher
Gazer or Gezer = “portion” 1) a Levitical city on the border of Efrayim
Kitron = “incense” 1) a town in Zevulun
Ahlab = “fertile place” 1) a town allotted to Asher, site presently unknown
Achzib = “deceit” 1) a town in the loweretz west Judah 2) a town in Asher by the Sea of Galilee
Helbah = “fertile” 1) a town of Asher, probably on the plain of Phoenicia not far from Sidon
Goyim of the ten nation
Adoni-Bezek = “my lord is Besek” 1) king of the Kenaanite city of Bezek, killed by Israelites
Perizzite = “belonging to a village” 1) a people who inhabited southern Kenaan prior to the conquest
Yebusite = “descendants of Yebus” 1) descendants of the 3rd son of Kenaan who lived in or around the site of Yebus, the early name for Yerusalem
Hittite = “descendant of Heth” 1) the nation descended from Heth, the 2nd son of Kenaan; once inhabitants of central Anatolia (modern Turkey), later in north Levanon
Kenaanite = see Cana “zealous” 1) descendant of inhabitant of Kenaan (adjective) 2) descendant or inhabitant of Kenaan (noun) 3) a merchant, trader (noun)
Amorite = “a sayer” 1) one of the peoples of east Kenaan and beyond the Yarden, dispossessed by the Israelite incursion from Mityrayim
Anak = “neck” 1) progenitor of a family, or tribe of the giant people in Kenaan
Three benai Anak
Sheshai = “noble” 1) son of Anak, one of the giants in the eretz Kenaan
Ahiman = “my brother is a gift” 1) a son of Anak
Talmai = “furrowed” 1) one of the 3 benai the giant Anak who were slain by the men of Judah
Names and meaning of Location
Devir (דביר) = “sanctuary” 1) the king of Eglon, one of the five melakhim hanged by Yoshua (noun proper masculine) 2) a town in the mountains of Judah west of Hevron and given to the priests and a city of refuge (noun proper locative) 3) a place on the northern boundary of Judah (noun proper locative) 4) a town in the territory of Gad (noun proper locative)
Kirjath-sepher or Kirjath-sannah = “city of the book” 1) a town in the mountains of Judah to the west of Hevron
Zephath = “watch-tower” 1) a Kenaanite city in Simeon renamed Hormah by the Israelites
Hormah = “devotion” 1) a town of the Kenaanites, conquered by Yoshua, allotted to Judah, and located in the south of Judah
Azzah = “the strong” 1) another name for ‘Azah (Gaza)’, a city of the Pelishtim located in the extreme southwest of Palestine close to the Mediterranean
Askelon or Ashkelon = “the fire of infamy: I shall be weighed” 1) a maritime city of the Pelishtim , southwest of Yerusalem
Ekron = “emigration” or “torn up by the roots” 1) the most northerly of the 5 principal cities of the Pelishtim ; located in the lowlands of Judah and later given to Dan
Luz = “almond tree” 1) the early name of Beit-el and probably the name of the town in close proximity to the actual location of the altar and pillar of Yacob
2) the name of a town in the eretz the Hittites; site unknown
Accho = “his straitness” 1) a seaport town in Asher north of har Carmel and south or Tyre
Sidon = “hunting” 1) ancient Phoenician city, on Mediterranean coast north of Tyre
Aphek or Aphik = “enclosure” 1) a Kenaanite city near Yezreel
Rehob = “broad place” 1) father of Hadadezer the king of Zobah who was killed by David (noun proper masculine)
Emorities inhabitant
Heres = “the sun” 1) a harain inhabited by Emorities in Moav; the place where Gid'on turned back from chasing the Midyanites
Ajalon or Aijalon = “field of deer”
1) Levitical city in Dan, 14 miles or 25 kilometers NW of Yerusalem, later ruled by the Emorities, then the Benjamites of Judah, then by the Pelishtim
Shaalbim or Shaalabbin = “place of foxes” 1) a town in Dan occupied by the Emorities